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Glite Dictionary
catchpenny

catchpenny

1 9.5
Made to attract attention and sell quickly, often of low quality
  • adjective
  • /ˈkæʧˌpɛni/
  • Archaic
: barato
  • The store displayed a range of catchpenny gadgets designed to appeal to tourists.

Examples

  • Street markets are often filled with catchpenny trinkets and souvenirs.

  • Don't buy that catchpenny product; it won't last long.

  • She avoided buying catchpenny decorations, preferring something with more lasting value.

  • The catchpenny toys at the fair attracted many children.

  • Street markets are often filled with catchpenny trinkets that are cheap but quickly break.

  • The store displayed a range of catchpenny gadgets meant to grab tourists' attention for a quick sale.

  • She avoided purchasing that catchpenny item, knowing it wouldn't be durable or worth the money.

Antonyms

quality
∞ 2.1

How good something is

How Cheap

tawdry
24 7.8
catchpenny
  • Archaic
1 9.5
cheap
168 5.6
tacky
  • Informal
76 4.3

Surface Forms

catchpenny positive

Morphology

catchpenny = catch + penny (semi-transparent) = catch + penny

The components 'catch' (attract) + 'penny' (small amount) are clear, but the idiomatic sense 'designed to attract buyers cheaply' is a metaphorical extension rather than a purely literal composition.

Etymology

Catchpenny comes from the simple parts catch and penny, meaning 'to catch a small coin'. So, a catchpenny object is made to attract attention and sell quickly, often at the cost of real quality.